Daemen Track Starts Off New Year At RIT Invitational

1/11/2019 11:30:00 AM

By: By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

MEET INFORMATION & LINKS
RIT Invitational
Hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology
Saturday, Jan. 12 | 10 a.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Gordon Fieldhouse & Activities Center

Live Results

THE STARTING BLOCKS
The Daemen College men's and women's track and field teams compete for the third time this season and first in the new year when traveling to the RIT Invitational. The Wildcats have had a five-week hiatus since last competing at the Houghton December Classic.

BEING THE BOZ
After Nazjahe Boswell's collegiate debut at the Brockport Alumni & Multi Invitational, where she recorded a pair of top-three finishes and established a new team record in the 60 meter dash, she then posted two top-three finishes in her second career collegiate meet at the Houghton December Classic. Boswell posted a time of 7.99 seconds in her 60-meter dash preliminary qualifying heat which was good enough to put her into the race finals where she finished second with a time of 7.96 seconds. Boswell would go on to place third in the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.03 seconds, shaving some time off her previous race.

MEYER'S MUSINGS
Sophomore jumper Katja Meyer picked up where she left off last season when she set new team records for the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Meyer competed in the long jump and triple jump at Houghton where she had a long jump of 4.65 meter. She then shattered her previously-held record of 10.31 meters with a triple jump of 10.57 meters.

VETERAN VAULTERS
The Daemen women boast one of the top pole-vaulting tandems in the region in senior Kyra Kress and junior Taylor Haude. Both earned first team All-ECC honors during the 2017-18 indoor season, and Haude was a USTFCCCA All-Region honoree as well. Haude is the team record holder in the event as she cleared 3.26 meters at the ECC Championships last season.

CROSS COUNTRY TRANSITION
Both the men's and women's teams feature several athletes who are looking to make a successful transition after competing in cross country during the fall. That group is headlined by Mike Swiniarski and Lucas Canales on the men's side, and Savannah Warner on the women's side. Swiniarski was the top finisher for the men's cross country team in all seven races they participated in this season, and he opened the indoor track campaign by placing sixth in the 5,000 meter race at the Brockport Alumni & Multi Invitational on Dec. 1. Canales earned his first All-ECC accolade for indoor track and field last winter when he was named a second team selection in the 5,000 meter run. Warner, who ran to a second place finish in the one mile run at Brockport, is also coming off an All-ECC indoor track season as she earned second team honors in the 800 meter run, a distance that she also holds the team record in.

ROCKIN' RODNEY
Sophomore sprinter Rodney Corbin followed up the Brockport meet with another strong outing at Houghton finishing first in both the preliminary and the final heats of the 60 meter dash. Corbin placed first in the preliminary heat with a time of 7.11 followed by a time of 7.09 for another first-place finish at the Houghton December Classic.

SAVE US SULLY
Junior thrower Sullivan Keller was also in the record-setting mood at the team's previous meet at Houghton as he beat his own team record in 35-pound weight throw after beating it the previous week at Brockport. His toss of 14.31 meters bested the prior record of 14.29 meters set by Keller previously. He also placed second in shot-put. Keller was a second team All-ECC honoree last winter in the shot put.

NEW LEADERSHIP
It was announced in early December that head coach Paul Lagno will be stepping down from his position to pursue new career opportunities. The Houghton December Classic marked Lagno's final time as the team's head coach, a position he's held since the 2015-16 season. Judy Arlington, an assistant with the program for the last two seasons and named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, will have her debut as head coach on Saturday at RIT.

WHO TO WATCH @ RIT
Rodney Corbin (60 meters, 4x200 meter relay)
Ethan Majewski (400 meters, 4x200 meter relay)
Drew Greenaway (400 meters)
Sullivan Keller (shot put, weight throw)

Katja Meyer (triple jump, long jump)
Betty Jones (shot put, weight throw)
Sophie Sheffer (pole vault)
Nazjahe Boswell (60 meters, 200 meters)

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will compete again on Friday, January 18^th at the Highlander Invitational hosted by Houghton, the team's second meet at Houghton this season.

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